


Check Out

by LovelyLittleGrim



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awkward Derek, Cashier Theo, Crushes, Fluff, Human AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 08:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14713013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLittleGrim/pseuds/LovelyLittleGrim
Summary: Derek is an awkward bean, and Cora is a terrible sister who won't just pay for the damn groceries and let Derek continue being a coward.





	Check Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tabbytabbytabby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/gifts).



> For Tabs because she made me hardcore ship Therek and because she's awesome.

Derek is standing at the end of checkout lane three, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth. Cora is standing beside him and staring at him like he’s an idiot. He takes a step forward, sucking in a deep breath and then immediately takes a step back again.

“No, I can’t, please Cora, pay for these,” He says anxiously as he shoves the bright green basket of groceries into her hands.

She holds her hands up in the air and shakes her head, she looks like a nutcase, but it’s effective in making Derek hold onto the basket. “Nope, not happening,” She says loudly. “You’re a big boy, Der. You can pay for your own groceries.”

“But—”

“No buts, Derek, unless it’s Theo’s butt and you’re touching it,” She pauses and wrinkles her nose, disgusted with herself. “And even then, I don’t want to hear or know about any butts, or touching of butts, keep all buts and butts to yourself.”

“I hate you,” Derek tells her seriously, his heart thundering in his chest at the realization that he is going to have to stand face to face with the cashier and make small talk until all his groceries are scanned and paid for.

Cora rolls her eyes. “You love me, and you know it, now go talk to Theo you big dope.”

Derek glances hopefully at the other lanes, but they are either closed or entirely too long. “I could just wait over there—”

“I will literally stab you, Derek,” She says, and a passing woman startles, her eyes wide as she hurries away from them, glancing over her shoulder worriedly as she flees. Cora winks at her and the woman darts down an aisle out of view.

“You’re going to get us kicked out of here,” Derek grumbles then pauses as he considers the option of being kicked out and never allowed to return. It sounds nice, he reaches out to pinch her side where he knows she’s most ticklish. It never fails in making her violent.

“Oh, no you don’t,” Cora growls and shoves him into line, her nails digging into his arm before he can even touch her. “Just man up and talk to your stupid crush, you dumbass, or else I’m going to tell Laura about him.”

Derek spins on his heel to stare at her with a horrified gaze. “You wouldn’t,” He whispers. Cora knowing about his pathetic crush on the cashier is bad enough, but Cora _and Laura_ knowing would be literal hell on earth.

“Try me,” She sings out smugly before giving him one final nudge and hurriedly walking away.

Derek glares at her back until she disappears. He sucks up what little courage he has and begs whatever high power that’s listening to please keep him from being awkward. It's a futile prayer, but Derek mutters it under his breath none-the-less, just in case. He steps up in line behind a little old couple and waits, heart pounding in his chest as Theo makes small talk with the couple. He’s carefully enunciating his words so that they can hear and understand him, and Derek can’t help but find it adorable. Finally, the old couple slowly amble away their shopping cart squeaking and then he’s next, his groceries rolling towards Theo on the conveyer belt. 

_Too late to run away now, right?_

“Hey, Derek,” Theo says brightly, a secretive gleam in his eyes. “How are you today?”

“I’m grine,” Derek says quickly, and then has to physically stop himself from running away because what the fuck is grine and why did it just come out of his mouth? He hates this store and Cora, and more than that he hates Theo and too pretty face.

Theo lets out a small chuckle, his hand pausing halfway towards the pile of groceries. “You’re what?”

Derek clears his throat. “Grine,” He repeats like he meant to say it the first time it slipped from his mouth. His face feels warm, nervous sweat breaking out across his body. “It’s a cross between great and fine… it’s uh…a new word.”

“Grine,” Theo repeats after him bobbing his head thoughtfully, his dark hair falling into his bright green eyes. “I like it, it's nice mashing of words.”

“Right,” Derek says slowly, his eyes dropping from Theo’s face to watch the cashier’s hands. His fingers are long and deft. Derek wonders what they would feel like touching him. He swallows thickly and pushes the thought firmly away, it's stupid to wonder about things that will never happen. He pulls his wallet from his back pocket to distract himself from his own mind. 

Theo picks up his scanning gun and scans the gallon of milk, it beeps loudly, the price registering on the little pad in front of Derek’s face. Theo slides the milk into one of the plastic bags beside him and scoots it away, making room for the other purchases. He turns back to the register and picks up the scanning gun, but then he pauses. The scanner is almost to the next item on the belt but before he scans the carton of eggs he raises his arm and clicks the scanner at Derek, there's a flash of red light and then a loud beep.

Derek blinks in confusion, his eyes darting from his shirt to Theo in search of an explanation, but Theo just smiles and scans the carton of eggs on the belt. Derek watches in silence as Theo bags them carefully, picks back up his scanning gun and points it at Derek again. It beeps at him again, the red light flashing against the front of his shirt. Theo does this four more times, scans one of Derek’s groceries and then scans him, back and forth until there’s only the bread left on the belt and Derek is bubbling with curiosity.

“Why do you keep trying to scan me,” Derek finally asks, shoving away his nerves in the pursuit of knowledge. Honestly, he's just glad that for once it's not him exhibiting weird behavior.

“I’m not scanning you, Derek,” Theo says with an amused twist of his lips. He cocks his hip to the side and leans in like he's about to tell a dirty secret. “I’m checking you out.”

“Oh,” Derek says slowly before realization dawns on him. He can feel his cheeks burn with the weight of his blush.

_Theo was checking him out._

“ _Oh,"_ Derek breathes out again, his fingers tightening around his wallet.

“Yes, _oh_ ,” Theo says with a shy smile. “I’ve been checking you out for weeks now, but you never seemed to notice."

“So,” Derek says slowly, his stomach flipping with excitement. “You thought you would _actually_ check me out.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Theo’s cheeks flush a pale pink, his fingers fiddling with the scanner as they stare at one another.

Theo clears his throat awkwardly after a long moment of silence and drops his gaze down to the bread. He scans it slowly and slips it into one of the bags on the stand beside him. His cheeks are slowly getting more and more red, his eyes never leaving the register. “That’ll be 22.50, please.”

Derek realizes that he hasn’t said anything in response to Theo’s confession yet, and his hands fumble the wallet clenched between his fingers, change spilling out onto the floor, a loud tinkling sound that startles Theo into looking up at him.

Derek panics and drops to his knees to gather up all the change on the floor, the tiles staining his fingers with dust as he frantically swipes up the coins. There’s a tiny laugh above him and Derek’s face heats up at the sound, it’s quiet and amused, but not cruel. He pauses, and before he can stop himself, he stands up. “Do you want to grab dinner.”

Theo blinks in surprise so Derek hurries to add. “With me, I mean, like on a date…”

“Really,” Theo asks, a tiny smile spilling onto his lips. “I mean, yeah. I'd like that, a lot, actually.”

“Okay,” Derek nods, there’s a smile on his face too, large and happy. “Okay, great, that's, great." 

He hands over the money for the groceries and Theo places it in the till, before swiping up his change and placing it carefully in Derek’s hand along with his receipt. Theo's fingers slide across Derek's skin, soft and warm. He stares down at where their hands are connected until the woman behind him coughs pointedly and Derek jerks his hand away in embarrassment. 

"My number’s on the receipt," Theo tells him quietly before saying louder. "Have a nice day, sir!"

“I’ll text you,” Derek tells him uncaring of the person waiting in line. 

“You better,” Theo tells him with a light laugh and a wave goodbye as the customer sidles up to the register looking all kinds of moody. Theo shoots them a dazzling smile and Derek watches as the frustration on the woman's face melts away slowly. Theo just has that type of effect on people. 

Derek makes it to the car before he pulls out his phone and sends Theo a text.

 **Sent 4:32 PM** _How does dinner tonight sound? About 8?_

 **Received 4:33 PM** _It sounds grine ;)_


End file.
